7 Proven Ways to Improve Your Resume and Get More Interviews

7 Ways to Improve Your Resume

Overview

One of the most common questions we get is how to improve your resume so it will stand out to employers.

You might be the most qualified applicant in the world and perfect for the position you are applying for, but unless your resume and cover letter tell that story to the employer, you'll never get the chance to even interview for the job. Here are a few of our best practices for improving a resume:

1. Keep it Short and Sweet

• Your resume should be one page long.
• If you’ve been working for more than 10 years, you can extend it to a second page.
• Production resumes are excluded from this rule.
• Resumes longer than two pages may not get read past the first page—or at all.

2. Pretend You Are the Employer

• Does your resume match the job you’re applying for?
• Avoid “jack of all trades” resumes—**tailor your resume** to the specific role.
• You may need multiple versions of your resume.
• Employers check off job requirements as they read—**reverse engineer your resume** to align with their needs.

3. Have Your Resume Reviewed

• Get 2-3 working professionals in your field to review your resume.
• Ask people in your network for feedback.
• Choose friends of friends—they’re likely to be more honest.

4. Don’t Use a Photo

• Unless applying for an on-camera position, do not include a photo.
• Photos on resumes are seen as unprofessional in recruiting.

5. Use Standard Fonts

• If you don’t use a standard font, the employer may not see your resume as intended.
• Stick to fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.

6. Use Microsoft Word & Avoid Columns

• Use Microsoft Word—it’s the industry standard.
• PDFs can cause formatting issues depending on how they were created.
• Many companies use automated systems to read resumes, so avoid columns to ensure proper parsing.

7. If It Isn’t Working, Change It

• If you are applying for jobs you’re qualified for and not getting interviews, revise your resume and cover letter.
• Consider adjusting the level of jobs you’re applying to.
• The resume and cover letter are your only tools to communicate your value—**if you’re not getting responses, reevaluate your strategy**.

Need More Help?

If you have any other questions about resumes or our website, please reach out or leave a comment below. We might feature your question in a future update!

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